Month: May 2017

With its premium resorts and its lovely towns, Barbados has something for everyone. Of course, this applies to food, as well, and whether you are someone who enjoys cheap eats and street food, a stop at a lovely café or coffee shop, or fine dining in Zagat noted restaurants, you can find a lot of foodie destinations throughout Barbados.

Of course, before any foodie sets their sights on the Barbadian restaurants, it is important to know what foods and flavors are considered “must try” options while on the island. This will ensure you taste those essential dishes and recognize them when served in any sort of setting.

One of the most important is cou cou, the national dish, which is made using flying fish and a cornmeal-like staple that arrives with okra and often drenched in a special gravy. Flying fish is as it sounds, and is the famed flying fish cooked in typical Bajan seasoning and either fried in batter or steamed and served with onions and tomatoes. Other dishes to expect are salt bread, rice and peas, fish cakes, pudding and souse (which is a sweet potatoe and sausage dish), conkies (a banana leaves stuffed with a sweet filling), breadfruit prepared in many ways, and rum punch. You will also see Bajan sweet cakes, sweet bread, pepperpot, and jugjug (similar to Scottish haggis).

Almost any of these items may appear in fine dining establishments or beach shacks. And with mention of a shack, it’s time to begin looking at some of those must-savor dining destinations on the island.

Cuz’s Fish Shack

Long known as the place for the freshest fish, it is located in Bridgetown and offers a perfect spot for lunch. The fish sandwich is frequently cited as the best on the island, and comes with a fried egg, cheese and salad all loaded on a bun. You can also get the fish cooked to order and choose from dorado, marlin or the classic flying fish.

Champers

This is noted as one of the best restaurants in Barbados and is in a quiet spot on the South Coast Road. It features amazing views over popular Accra Beach and the menu emphasizes the freshest catches of the day. There are also vegetarian and land-based dishes, and a famous wine list along with signature cocktails.

Brown Sugar

If you want elegant and yet casual cuisine, this is the spot. It is noted for its amazing buffets, but it also has multi-course meals that are packed with Bajan classics. This is the place to try fish cakes, cou cou and all of the rest. Save room for dessert, because this restaurant is famous for its over the top homemade sweets.

Nishi

This is a sushi restaurant and bistro. It is an award winning establishment in Holetown and provides visitors with Caribbean and Asian fusion dishes. Choose to dine upstairs and watch the sushi chefs at work, head to the lower dining room for a low-key atmosphere or sit outdoors in the courtyard. There are also seating options in the lounge and the bar, and the full menu is available throughout the property.

Tides

Long viewed as the best fine dining establishment on the island, it is in Holetown with a waterfront location. It also has multiple dining rooms, as well as a garden gazebo. The menu has something for all, but the emphasis here is on premium preparation, world-class ingredients, and options from an impressive wine list.

Don’t forget to try famous spots like Daphne’s, The Cliff, Oistin’s Fish Fry, Waterside, Pisces, The Fish Pot, and Cin Cin, too.

It is altogether too easy to mistake Ibiza as a nightlife destination and little else. This is unfortunate, and many travelers are delighted to discover that it is also a foodie paradise, a place for the avid seeker of exotic and unique goods, and those who love nature. It is a wildly photogenic destination at all hours, and if you have been wise enough to book a stay at one of the luxury villas on the island, you will want to book an hour or more each day to simply capture the beauty of this unique destination with your camera.

Fortunately, we have made it a lot easier for you to get some of the more iconic images by providing a list of the best photographic spots on the island of Ibiza.

Sa Caleta

This area is noted for the finest beaches on the island, but it is also a place offering remarkable photographic opportunities. If you have underwater or waterproof gear, the images are endless. There are also ancient ruins at the tops of the cliffs above the water as well as old military buildings from the last century.

Atlantis

Not the Atlantis you might think! This is an old Phoenician quarry that is one of the island’s most amazing photographic secrets. It is tough to find, so you may want to hire a guide. Wear good boots and be ready to manage the short hike, but also be prepared to be stunned. Set beneath the cliffs, it is amazing and you can see where the many stones of Dalt Vila were taken from so many centuries earlier.

Cala D’En Serra

Set in the north, it is a beautiful and pristine wilderness not far from Portinatx. It is home to one of the finest, hidden beaches tucked into a gorgeous cove. Though the hills are home to a massive, abandoned hotel project, these are now completely overgrown and almost entirely reclaimed by the evergreen forests that lead all of the way to the sea below.

Sa Talaia

The highest point of the entire island, it has many communication towers but the panoramic images available from the peak will be amazing. The right spots let you see from San Antonio to the Salinas salt flats all of the way in the south. Do note that it is a difficult hike to this point, and you may want a guide to ensure safety, but it will be well worth it.

Salinas

With mention of the salt flats, you may want to make a point of heading south to visit the Ses Salinas. These are visually stunning spots with working flats aging and dehydrating the sea salt in large pools. The beach has some fascinating sites too, including an old port and an abandoned railway. The defense tower stands and the Des Cavallet beach nearby is quite picturesque.

Camino General

This is close to the San Antonio area and is a remarkable spot to spend a day wandering. With almost no tourism, it is a place of abandoned windmills and old farms. Avid photographers will relish the opportunities to capture images of working orange groves, agricultural fields and the ruins of the once mandatory mills that were the only way for the island’s farmers to grind grain.

Cala Conta

Head here for the perfect sunset shot. This area of the island provides a panorama of views into the west. The changing of the seasons does also put the sunset in a different spot as the year progresses. The winter sunsets are best captured facing the Illa de s’Espartar and during the summer months you can get the best images towards Illa des Bosc.

With no coastline, the region of Italy known as Umbria seems like an unlikely place for becoming a traveler’s destination, and yet that is precisely what it is. Historic and utterly beautiful, it is often compared to Tuscany in terms of its appeal and beauty and its name even hints that it can be thought of as second option. After all, Umbria comes from the Italian term “ombra” or shadow. The region sits in the shadow of the Umbrian mountains and hills, and it is full of amazing valleys, beautiful groves and orchards and fairy tale-like forests. It is certainly not a lesser choice by any standards.

So, if you have decided to visit this remarkable location in the heart of Italy, you will want to be sure you have made careful plans that allow you to experience some of its medieval sights and walled towns, its delicious foods and wines, its art treasures, olive groves, and so much more. Here, we’ll consider the basic itinerary for a week in Umbria.

There is No Busy Here

Though a week in Umbria is not enough to do justice to this lovely region, you will quickly discover that even places noted for being busy are rarely busy on the scale of other locations on the peninsula. While this itinerary for a week in Umbria does hop around between well-known and lesser known spots, neither the itinerary nor the destinations will feel busy or hectic. With that in mind, let’s begin…

Gubbio

This wonderful medieval town should be considered a “must” for anyone with a week in Umbria. Close to the much more famous Assisi, it is actually the more appropriate spot to begin your tour of the region. Home to the Civic Museum, it is one spot where you can really learn and discover a great deal about the people of this area. There are some Roman ruins to enjoy, but it is the medieval architecture that is a real high point here. It is also where you can climb or ride the funicular up to the top of Mt. Ingino and take in stunning views of the fortress and scenery below. While touring Gubbio, it is vital to sample at least one dish spotlighting truffles, as this is a specialty.

Assisi

Don’t plan to spend your time in Assisi on a Sunday as it is a hugely popular destination on this day of the week. Instead, for your week in Umbria, pop in on the quietest day – Monday. You can visit the iconic Basilica of St. Francis in the morning and then spend a day strolling this historic and appealing town. Here too you have Roman ruins and a popular and charming museum at the Cathedral of San Rufino. If you wish to work off your lunch (you stopped for a hearty lunch, right?), you can climb fortress Rocca or you can hit the road and make your way to visit shrines like San Damiano or Eremo delle Carceri. In fact, if you want a more accurate portrait of St. Francis, these are the places to choose. You will also want to drive up Mt. Subasio for what is sure to be an unforgettable sunset.

Perugia

The capital is a city, but you will aim for the historic city center during your week in Umbria. Here you can see the Oratorio di San Bernaradino or the national gallery. You must then stop at Pasticceria Sandri on the Corso for coffee and pastry or safe room for dinner at Forziere Antico after an afternoon touring the shops. Of course, Lake Trasimeno also calls to those in this area, and this could be a perfect destination in which you head to Castiglione del Lago near the water and dine at Rosso di Sera, a noted restaurant in the region.

Choose a Park

Umbria is home to a national park and seven smaller, regional parks. Dedicate at least one day to visiting the nearest. Mount Subasio Park is the largest but locals also love to visiting the nearest. Mount Subasio Park is the largest but locals also love Sibilline National Park and the Nera River Regional Park (home to Marmore waterfalls and San Pietro en Valle).

Of course, a week in Umbria cannot be complete without a visit to Orvieto’s cathedral, the nearby town of Todi and lovely Lake Corbara. You will also want to do the underground tour (if available) and sample the local wines. Naturally, you may also want to do a day of driving from town to town with Spello, Montefalco, and Bevagna ratiing very highly.

While so many of us head to Italy for the sun and the scenery, the art and the culture, there are plenty more who travel to this part of the world for the food. After all, the different regions of Italy are packed with familiar flavors, and this is also the case for  Sardinia too. While it is true that just as many travelers opt for a Sardinian holiday because of the island’s stunning beaches, which number in the hundreds, this is also a place for the dedicated foodies as well.

Sardinian Food

Unlike mainland Italy, Sardinian food has been heavily influenced by the many groups that have invaded and departed over the centuries. There were the Nuraghic people, who left behind their unique tall towers, then the Carthaginians and Phoenicians, Arabs and Spaniards and Romans. More than two thousand years have created an utterly unique cuisine here. Because of that, it is important that a visitor understands the “must taste” flavors, ingredients and dishes.

The pastas to savor during a visit include fregula, which is similar to couscous. Then there is malloreddus, which is similar to potato gnocchi but made with semolina. Though many different toppings appear, a Sardinian classic is the use of cuttlefish ink.

Breads are found by the hundreds of varieties and you will want to be sure you sample a pane carasau, which is round and thin and made like very crisp flat bread. Served with salt and olive oil, it is a delight. Look for it made into pane frattau, which is when it is doused in lamb stock and spread with pecorino cheese and tomato paste and served with a boiled egg. There is also pane civraxiu, which is a classic country loaf ideal for eating fresh or enjoying with soups.

As you might guess, Sardinia is home to amazing charcuterie. Long a wonderful part of all Italian cuisine, the Sardinian twist includes salsiccia sarda, which is a blend of traditional sausage with classic salami. Made with pork, it will have a strong anise and fennel flavor. You will want to shop around until you find a version made with wild boar and even smoked over traditional myrtle to savor the most authentic flavor.

Seafood is a huge favorite here, and the island is noted for its lobsters from Alghero, but cooks on the island also use a great deal of bottarga, which is a tuna roe that is dried and salted. Savor it sliced thin on bread and you may never forget its amazing flavors. Snails are huge on the island, and called lumache when prepared in the local manner – even if the idea of snails does not appeal, most find this dish to be irresistible.

Meat leans towards lamb and pork, but the ultimate dish for visitors to savor is porceddu, or suckling pig that is spit roasted for several hours over aromatic woods. It is not all that difficult to find, but one of the most famous restaurants serving it is Agriturismo Sa Mandra near Alghero.

No visit to Sardinia is complete without the consumption of copious quantities of local cheese. It is their largest export and the best include brigante, capra sarda, fiore sardo, pecorino romano DOP and the locally made ricotta fresca and ricotta stagionata. Pair up some of the cheeses with local wines, especially Sella & Mosca vintages that have been produced on Sardinia since the 1800s.

Whether you pursue these must have flavors and items in shops and grocers or you head to the restaurants of Sardinia to sample them, they will only enhance your experience of this unique and wonderful island.

Most experienced travelers think of Barbados in terms of its beaches and outdoor activities. It is full of premier golf courses and wonderful little towns, but is most well known for its flawless waters and stunning beaches.

While we might mistakenly think of all of this island’s beaches as equally lovely or appealing, they actually differ quite substantially. This can prove a problem when you are traveling and want to spend an unforgettable day at the beach only to discover you have chosen poorly. After all, if you are more a calm water swimmer and head to Bathsheba Beach, you’ll be awed by the surfers but disappointed by the fact you won’t feel comfortable swimming.

To ensure travelers get directly to the perfect beaches for their holiday goals, we’ve compiled this no-nonsense guide to the beaches of Barbados. Before we start to explore the list, though, let’s just be sure you know the basics about Barbados and its beaches. As the easternmost island in the Lesser Antilles, it has beaches that face the gentler Caribbean waters as well as the more unpredictable and powerful Atlantic waves.

This is helpful to know because it is the Atlantic coastal areas (along the north and eastern coasts), and beaches, where you want to go to find the amazing surfing as well as a lot of the birds and wildlife native to those waters. The Caribbean coastal areas (the western coast) are for the fans of sugary white sands and turquoise blue seas calm enough to snorkel in or enjoy a dip.

Barbados Windsurfing Hotspots

Though you will hear that it is the northern or eastern coastal areas of the island with the best surfing, there is one beach in the south that rates as the hottest of windsurfing hotspots – Silver Sands Beach. It is world famous as a windsurfing destination and every February it is home to the Waterman Festival.

Barbado’s Surfing Beach

If you are more of a surfer or bodysurfer than a windsurfer, Crane Beach is for you. It is along the southeastern shore of the island and is described as one of the most beautiful of the island’s many beaches. It is also home to one of the older and most appealing resorts, but it is the idyllic waves perfect for body surfing and surfing that make it a must. With an abundance of coves and conditions gentle enough for beginners, it is a fabulous beach for your “must see” list.

Nearby beaches include Bottom Bay, with its proximity to historic Sam Lord’s Castle and perfect picnicking as well as Bathsheba Beach with its charming fishing village, surf contests and Soup Bowl.

The Swimming Beaches

Though it is one of the most popular beaches on the Caribbean coast of the island, it is also ideal for swimming too. Beautiful with its swaying palms and appealing beach bar, it is also truly picturesque and offers some of the safest swimming available.

If you are more of a snorkeler or with a family, Folksetone Beach is an even better option. Part of a marine park, it has educational displays, water sports, a marine museum, wonderful reefs for exploring, and is only one short mile outside of Holetown.

Swimmers will also want to make a stop at Carlisle Bay when near Bridgetown. It is a favorite place for luxury yachts, but the crystalline waters and marine park within the bay make it perfect for those who want to swim and snorkel. In fact, there are six shipwrecks in the bay, and even novice snorkelers enjoy their time here. Browne’s Beach within the bay is often noted as the perfect swimming and picnicking destination.

There you have some great tips for getting straight to the beach and enjoying your stay in Barbados.

If you speak to resident experts on the Greek island of Corfu, they will probably tell you that July and August are remarkably busy, and yet they also agree that summer is one of the best times to visit. Though mid-spring to mid-autumn has long been called the peak season, summer on Corfu is a real gem.

Why? This is the time when the island is, quite literally, buzzing with life. Though you may encounter a bit of humidity along with the higher daytime temperatures, it is not so dramatically different from the conditions of mid-spring to mid-autumn, and it is typically just after the rains, when everything is in full bloom.

In fact, the Telegraph traveler’s guide to the island says that the months of July and August are when you see “everything fully functioning in Corfu, and the sea is thoroughly warmed up”, too. Does this mean that July and August are the only times to enjoy summer on Corfu? Not at all! From late May to late June and during the last few weeks of September, everything is just as beautiful, but perhaps a bit less crowded and busy.

The thing to remember about a summer on Corfu is that the term “busy” or “crowded” can be relative. After all, it usually enjoys tourism from April through October, with the last rains coming down in mid to late June. It is notably one of the greenest of all the Greek islands, because of the rains, but also because of a historic trend in leaving olive trees to themselves. This has given Corfu a staggering array of olive groves, and many still retain a somewhat wild and uncultivated atmosphere that makes the island such a unique, emerald-green gem.

A Sleepy Spring or Summer on Corfu

It is important to keep in mind that Corfu is one of the least “developed” in terms of its tourism. Though there are distinct tourism towns and spots, if you opt to head inland, it can feel as if you have stepped back in time and entered a different world. The same verdant and rolling landscape is there to appeal, but most secondary roads are still quite primitive and winding. The villages are unspoiled and enjoying summer on Corfu means being able to run across at least one panigýria, which is a small fair and religious festival. Many feature local goods, delicious foods and traditional Greek music. They typically occur after 8PM in the evening and are a great reason to plan a summer stay.

Of course, if you visit before the peak of summer tourism, such as an arrival in late May or early June, you may find many of the most beautiful natural sights and smaller towns and beaches open and free of crowds. This would be an ideal time to enjoy such delights as:

Hiking the Corfu Trail

Running the length of the island, it is not at all difficult and gives amazing views of the towns and the sea. With younger travelers flooding the trails in late July to August, an early summer visit is a fantastic choice.

Exploring the towns

Old Corfu, Kassiopi, Messonghi, Nymphes and Paleokastritsa can become quite busy during the summer. This can cause you to miss out on the waterfront restaurants, caves, waterfalls and other amazing sights.

Hitting the best beaches

Lakkeiss Beach is noted for its peace and quiet, and an early summer visit can allow you to enjoy it almost entirely to yourself.

The sights

Achilleion palace, the church of Saint Spyridon, the Museum of Coins and biking from destination to destination are wonderful activities when the island is sunny, warm and yet still a bit quiet.

Visiting during the late spring or early summer on Corfu is a wonderful way to savor the very best the island has to offer, and it will be during the fine weather just before the many summertime travelers arrive.

The world’s savviest travelers tend to know when to book air travel in order to get the best pricing. Industry mythology says that certain days of the week and even certain hours of those magical days will let you find unmatchable prices for your airfare. However, you don’t have to stay up to an unreasonable hour of the night (or morning) and hope you can get excellent discounts on airfare when you know about “shoulder season” travel to Amalfi.

When to Visit

Ask an expert or even a local and they are going to tell you that April to June is an amazing time of year to see the Amalfi coast. It is the traditional spring to early summer season, with temperatures that are just warm enough to be a fantastic break from the weather in colder climates, but not yet Mediterranean hot. It is also a time that is just before the peak of tourist season, in July and August, when floods of travelers brave the heat to savor the charming villages, winding roads and gorgeous scenery.

This last point is important because Amalfi is a region without train service, and though there are buses, they may not be a preferred method of seeing the amazing coastal areas and Amalfi scenery. This means you will need to rent a car if you wish to experience the area, or use the more appealing option of hiring a guide to do the driving for you. Because you are booking your airline tickets and holiday in Amalfi during the shoulder season, the roads are less chaotic and busy, the bus drives less aggravated, and the towns and villages safer to stroll.

After all, many of the lovely towns appear to be pedestrian friendly, but may be full of one-way streets that actually switch the “one way” direction through the use of clever traffic lights. So, that cobblestone courtyard in front of that charming church may appear to be friendly for walkers, but when the light at the opposite end of the village goes green, a flood of scooters and cars may come rushing through. Visiting during the shoulder season reduces this flow of traffic substantially, allowing you to really savor these lovely spots, without constantly listening for the sounds of approaching traffic.

The boat season is up and running during the shoulder season on the Amalfi coast too. Though the month of April may not have a full range of routes or service, from May through October, all of the boats do transport visitors from one town to another along the coast. At all times, though, the boats can be cancelled because of rough seas or difficult weather conditions. So, the shoulder season travelers may not want to count on this as a form of reliable travel, but can still rely on at least a few days when the weather is ideal for a quick boat trip to a neighboring town.

Though the towns like Amalfi, Positano, Minori and Vietri Sul Mare have amazing beaches and you will want to pay a visit by bus or car, there are also towns that are higher in the cliffs and well worthy of a journey. Tramonti, Ravello, Scala and Agerola are all must-see destinations, and spots you can have your guide take you during the shoulder season, and if boats are not able to take you to the best beaches nearby.

Finally, booking airline tickets to Amalfi during the shoulder season enables you to explore the many stunning churches found in every town without a lot of fellow travelers also doing the same. You can take the Path of the Gods hiking trail and have it almost entirely to yourself, and throughout it all, you can enjoy lower prices on such coveted options as luxury accommodations, dining, shopping and all the rest.